Author name: JFS

Redbud trees are a timeless favorite, cherished for their graceful form, vibrant blooms, and seasonal interest. These enchanting trees signal the arrival of spring with delicate, pea-like blossoms that emerge along bare branches, painting the landscape with shades of pink, purple, and even creamy white. As the flowers fade, lush heart-shaped leaves emerge, with the […]

Across the continent and around the world, flowering cherries are a burst of spring, a sure sign that winter is in the rearview mirror. The show begins right around the vernal equinox that marks the first day of spring, March 20. There’s no better time to choose a flowering cherry (or several!) for your garden

Flowering plums jumpstart spring The crescendo of crocus and dawning of daffodils are sure signs of spring as they bloom in concert with our earliest flowering trees. Ornamental flowering plums are among the first to flaunt their cheerful and fragrant pink blossoms. You know that spring is in the air when the tight buds of

Oak trees play a critical role as a “keystone species,” in ecosystems around the world. Providing food and shelter for a wide array of mammals, birds, insects and fungi, they provide an essential foundation of living communities wherever they exist. Regardless of your location, there’s likely one or more oak species that are key to

Deciduous magnolias are among the first flowering trees to break the spell of winter. Thanks to their profuse blooms that brighten dreary days, they are harbingers of spring and garden favorites for centuries. Pairing well with daffodils, tulips and other spring flowers, they’re nothing less than garden essentials. Several of our best-sellers are featured below

Beribboned, heart-shaped boxes bursting with chocolates are no match for the year-round love you can share by gifting and planting love-inspired trees. Redbuds, especially those with romantic names and heart-shaped leaves, speak the language of love. Catalpa and Chitalpa also join the chorus with their pretty pink and white flowers and heart-shaped foliage. In all

Good things come in small packages, and the same can be said for flowering shrubs grown topiary-style. Grown as single-stem standards, these stunning tree-form shrubs bring beauty to eye level and lend a formal air to landscape plantings. Our tree form hydrangeas feature strong stems and sturdy, upright branches that support bright waves of flowers

The story of our “Search for the Best” ornamental crabapples is shared in the current edition of Malus, Journal of the International Ornamental Crabapple Society. Authored by Guy Meacham, JFS New Plant Development Manager, In Search of the Best (page 24) describes the multi-generational quest undertaken by the Schmidt family and staff to breed, trial,

Autumn Brilliance® Serviceberry joined our Redpointe® Maple in earning the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal Plant Award for 2025.This prestigious honor shines a light on this fine tree and others of its species. Native to a wide range of landscape types and regions across North America, serviceberries bloom reliably in the early spring and merit

As we ring in the New Year, we’re happy to announce that Redpointe® Maple has been named a PHS Gold Medal Plant for 2025. It shares the limelight in the tree category with the ever-popular Autumn Brilliance® Serviceberry. A shrub and three perennials are also recognized and added to this honor roll of high performance

Trees are the answer to De-LIGHT-ful holiday displays. Millions of hardworking trees across the country embrace billions of twinkling lights as we celebrate Christmas and a host of other winter holidays. In many communities, illuminated trees carry the torch, so to speak, every night of the year – casting a cheerful glow and adding character

“Fall Is for Planting” is a familiar phrase in the tree world, and we do plenty of fall planting on our farms. Autumn is also our season for cultivating relationships with tree specifiers by attending their national conferences. Since 1995, we’ve attended the  Conference on Landscape Architecture, presented annually in October by the American Society